N.C. Soldiers in Wild Cat Division Injured at Ypres, St. Quentin, Now at Camp Greene Hospital, Jan. 4, 1918

From The Caduceus, news of the Base Hospital at Camp Greene, Charlotte, N.C., Jan. 4, 1919. There’s a nice photo of the wounded online at: http://newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/2016236525/1919-01-04/ed-1/seq-5/

Over Sea Wounded Arrive at Hospital

The first contingent of wounded from overseas arrived at the U.S. Army Base Hospital, Camp Greene, on Tuesday afternoon in the form of 23 convalescents from Ypres and St. Quentin battle sectors. These men require no further medical attention and will soon be discharged from service. Nearly all the men are from North Carolina.

The names, rank, organization and home town of the men follows:

Thompson, James W.—Wag. Sup. Co., 119^th Inf.—Goldsboro, N.C.

Denney, Davis W.—Cpl., Co. L, 119^th Inf.—Lebanon, N.C.

Bryant, Otelia Q., Pvt., Co. N, 120^th Inf.—Rich Square, N.C.

Pennel, Samuel P., Pvt. Co. F, 119^th Inf.—Moravian Falls, N.C.

Sanders, Cletus C., Pvt., Co. D, 120^th Inf.—Charlotte, N.C.

Jackson, Carl, Pvt, Co. L, 120^th Inf.—Asheboro, N.C.

Jones, Willie, Pvt., Co. E, 120^th Inf.—Youngsville, N.C.

Antwine, Joe, Pvt., Co. D, 120^th Inf.—Kinston, N.C.

Campbell, Eugene C., Pvt. Co. D, 120^th Inf.—Taylorsville, N.C.

Parker, James T., Pvt, Co. M, 120^th Inf.—Ahoskie, N.C.

Maranville, Chas. A., Pvt., Co. E, 105^th Eng.—Winston-Salem, N.C.

Smith, Claude G., Bug., Co. B, 120^th Inf.—Raleigh, N.C.

Biddix, Guen R., Pvt., Co. L, 120^th Inf.—Mt. Mitchell, N.C.

Lowe, Jas. H., Pvt., Co. F, 105^th Eng.—Spartanburg, S.C.

Roundtree, William L., Pvt., Co. F, 119^th Inf.—Bosley, N.C.

Michael, John M., Cpl., Co. A, 105^th F.S.B’n—Woodrow, N.C.

McKenzie, James H. Pvt., Co. D, 115^th M.G. B’n—Carthage, N.C.

McDonald, Jester, Sgt., Co. M, 120^th Inf.—Asheville, N.C.

Goley, Williard C., Sgt., Co. M, 120^th Inf.—Graham, N.C.

Holton, John, Pvt., Co. I, 118^th Inf.—Wnnich,(?) N.C.

Koone, Abner, Pvt., Co. F, 120^th Inf.—Union Mill, N.C.

Collier, Harry B., Pvt., Co. A, 120^th Inf.—Henderson, N.C.

McPheters, Jennings, Pvt., Co. B, 115^th M.G. B’n—Ivy, N.C.

Many Troubles

The convalescent men represent a wide range of injuries and maladies. Four of their number were gassed at Ypres, three suffer from shrapnel wounds, six from gun wounds and four from shell shock. Some of the men were taken sick after several weeks in the trenches and after going over the top four times without a scratch. Two of the men have had pneumonia, one appendicitis and the others have survived contagious diseases.

They were a part of the famous “Wild Cat” division in northern France and Belgium and were first to break the Hindenburg line. They were attached to the Fourth British division, which went through some of the hardest fighting of the war. A part of their number have been over the top eight times.

These men were returned to America on ‘The Baltic,’ which ship laden with wounded landed in New York harbor on December 24. They were at Hoboken over Christmas. The special train carrying the coach of convalescents for Camp Greene and other coach loads for Camp Wadsworth and Asheville arrived at Charlotte Tuesday afternoon at 4 o’clock. The men were taken to the Camp Greene supply depot and there transferred to ambulances. They arrived at the Base Hospital in time for supper. Eight of the men are in Ward B-1 and the remainder in Ward C-8.

Regular Weather

It was drizzling rain when the train bearing the convalescents drew in at the southern station.

“This is regular weather,” one exclaimed. “This is the kind of weather they have every day where we come from.”

One of the canteen workers approached the train to inquire about the seriousness of the wounds the men were nursing.

“When do we eat?” was the query which greeted her first question.

“I suppose you are questioned a good bit, was put to one of the lads.

“Have answered a million. Have told all about having a broken arm from trying to raise a quarantine and about Henry being hurt when the barrage he leaned against suddenly lifted.

Only one member of the party bears a souvenir from the front. He has a belt which is adorned with medals and insignias picked up on the fields which had been wrestled from the Hun. Other members of the band claim that they lost all their souvenirs when they were wounded and removed to the hospital.

Miss Grier Active

The men had not been dismissed from the receiving ward before Miss Anna Grier of Charlotte, who has mothered scores of the hospital patients during the past months, was among them. She shook hands of every man. She asked about their home folks. She promised to see them on the morrow—and she did.

Miss Grier has brought candy and cigarettes to each of the over sea men each day during their stay at the hospital.

Eager to Leave

The new patients are anxious to leave the hospital. They want to get home. A part of them have been called upon by their folks since at the hospital but that does not answer for the feeling to get back home, they explain.

“This is not the first time I have thought that little ole’ home was about the best place on earth either,” explains one of the men.

About the fighting the men talk little.

“It is just like you have read in the papers,” they say.

Three of the number claim to have taken German prisoners which was “easy when you got near ‘em” they tell.

Nearly all the men who were wounded fell during the last three days of September and the first of October, when the big drive in the sector broke the Teuton line.

Were Too Foreign

“Can’t say much for the French girls—they are too foreign and hard to understand,” the lads set out. The British girls are fine however, the men acclaim. But the American girls are the real sort after all, they join in chorus.

These soldiers were part of the 27^th and 30^th divisions and all are in the company now at the base hospital were taken across on cattle boats, it taking nearly 20 days to make the detouring journey to England.

“We went over like cattle and came back like kings” they tell. “We were only nine days coming back and we lived in state.”

These fellows haven’t much use for the Tommies of their immediate sector.

“They were too upish. The Australians were the bully good chaps and the hardest fighters in the lots. We all stuck close to the Australians,” they say.

“The Camp Greene hospital is the best place we have struck yet” state the newcomers. “It beats the hospitals we were at in France or in England and we know something about both.”

Lieutenant-Colonel Renn states that the hospital will be glad to allow visitors to call upon the men providing the callers come to the hospital between the hours of 2 and 4 o’clock in the afternoon.